Chapter 202: What Am I Afraid Of? At Most, I'll Just Take a Beating

Chapter 202 I Fear Nothing, At Most I’ll Get a Beating

Xiao Honghong couldn’t help but feel a flash of anger.

Two days ago, she had repeatedly cautioned Li Changqing to carefully guard the grain depot, lest it fall into the wrong hands.

Yet as soon as he arrived here, he beheld the grim scene surrounding the Tiebao Town summer grain depot.

The relief she had once felt upon hearing that the Cold Wolf and Xuanjia Towns had remained unharmed instantly turned to dismay.

Xiao Honghong scanned the area and inquired, “What is the current situation?”

A soldier, his body blackened by smoke, quickly knelt down.

“To report the General, the recent five-day campaign has only managed to seize twenty million sheng of the summer grain…”

“However, due to the heavy rains, the fires have been brought under control, so there should still be a considerable amount of reserves below.”

Xiao Honghong’s subconscious hand instinctively pressed against her sword sheath.

If Li Changqing were here now, he would surely be struck down by a blade.

Thirty million sheng of grain—this equated to nearly four months’ rations for the soldiers of Tiebao Town.

Such a massive loss, was it not too much for Li Changqing to bear?

Yet upon seeing the once-proud depot reduced to rubble and the soot-stained faces of the soldiers around, Xiao Honghong sighed deeply and ordered, “Continue the rescue of the summer grain. Take whatever can be saved.”

“Also, once General Li arrives, inform him that I am waiting for him at the General’s Office.”

“Yes, General.”

Xiao Honghong hurried to the General’s Office in town, took her seat in the main hall, and gazed out at the raging storm outside.

In the flow of her internal energy, she calmed her mind and couldn’t help but replay the events of the night before.

If it hadn’t been for someone giving her a heads-up, the losses at this point would have been even greater.

Now, with less than thirty million sheng of grain lost, it was indeed a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

Moreover, the perpetrators—all of them—had been wiped out, including the evil forces from Mingyue Tower. The outcome, though still grim, wasn’t entirely disastrous.

As long as the mastermind behind this was found, the Xiao family’s influence would surely make up for these losses.

Yet Xiao Honghong still harbored a certain resentment.

She was angry not over the losses themselves, but over Li Changqing’s arrogance and recklessness.

Had Li Changqing been as vigilant as the commander of Xuanjia Town, Ma Kui, none of this would have happened.

After a moment,

Li Changqing hurried back with his men. After ordering the armored soldiers to wait at the entrance, he finally straightened his attire and solemnly entered the hall.

He knelt on one knee, bowed his hands, and said, “General Xiao, I humbly present myself.”

Xiao Honghong calmly gazed at him, and it was clear that there was no sign of remorse in his expression that would suggest impending punishment. She spoke calmly, “Speak the matter.”

Li Changqing let out a slight breath of relief—at least Xiao Honghong hadn’t cut him down on the spot.

He didn’t hesitate long, kneeling and saying, “This failure in the summer grain supply is the fault of the subordinate general. My negligence allowed the bandits to succeed.”

“However…”

Li Changqing paused, retrieved a letter from his chest, rose, and placed it before Xiao Honghong, then knelt again, saying, “But I have discovered something that may help the General find the mastermind behind this.”

Xiao Honghong took the letter, her eyes immediately narrowing.

[You wish to become the heir of the Xiao family? Then you must ally with my younger brother. You must show sincerity… Burn the summer grain of three towns…]

[First pay thirty thousand silver dollars. After success, another thirty thousand… Wishing you success—Xiao Dongchen!]

Xiao Honghong glanced at the signature at the end of the letter—the blood-red seal and the ink-stained signature. Her heart turned cold.

Xiao Dongchen—was this scheme orchestrated by someone within the Xiao family?

Li Changqing looked up at her, hesitated, and said, “General, this grain loss is my fault. I am at your mercy.”

Xiao Honghong snapped back to reality, her gaze cold as she asked, “Where was this letter found?”

Li Changqing paused, then nodded to his soldiers outside, “Bring them in.”

Several armored soldiers quickly carried the bodies of Liu Wen and others into the hall.

Li Changqing pointed to the rain-soaked Liu Wen and said, “I found this letter on the man. He also had this jade pendant.”

He placed the jade pendant on the table as well.

Xiao Honghong paid no heed, her gaze fixed on the bodies of Liu Wen and the others, carefully examining the wounds on their bodies.

The sword wounds were deep.

The gunshot wounds were also deep…

A familiar scent?

“Liu Rong? Is it him?”

In her mind, she recalled the blade that had struck Liu Rong outside the city. A deeper sense of suspicion arose.

Then she picked up the jade pendant, glanced at it, and furrowed her brow beneath her mask.

“This is a jade pendant bearing the seal of the Liu family from Jingzhou.”

Xiao Honghong’s thoughts raced. She began to piece together the events of the night, deducing the truth with increasing certainty.

The fire that burned the summer grain of the three towns must have been orchestrated by a son of the Liu family of Jingzhou, in collusion with Xiao Dongchen.

Yet her doubts only multiplied.

Were the bandits from the three towns, along with the evil forces from Mingyue Tower, all recruited by Xiao Dongchen?

Why had a son of the Liu family been killed by Liu Rong and others?

What hidden motives lay beneath all this?

Xiao Honghong felt a strange sensation about the events of the night. It seemed as though another group had different intentions.

Especially the death of the Liu family’s son and that letter—carefully crafted with Xiao Dongchen’s blood-red seal and deliberate signature.

It was as if someone had premeditatedly set everything up, leaving the true architects of the night’s events for her and the Xiao family to uncover.

But what was the purpose?

After much contemplation,

Xiao Honghong finally spoke, “This matter is to be kept secret. Any leaks among those who know will face military law.”

Li Changqing nodded, hesitantly asked, "What next..."

Xiao Jinghong stood up, looked at him and said, "First ensure the grain supply isn't lost, then discuss the rest."

"As for your punishment... I'll report to Lord Hou, and he'll decide."

"Hope you remember tonight's lesson, so you won't err again in the future."

Li Changqing's face fell, preferring Xiao Jinghong's punishment to that of the old lord.

Thankfully, tonight he had found something—his crime was serious, but not enough to warrant death.

Xiao Jinghong himself didn't dwell on his thoughts. After securing the letter and jade pendant, he carried Liu Wen's corpse straight to Shu Zhou's capital city.

Tonight's matter was too grave—not only involving Xiao Dongchen, the second son of the Xiao family, but also a younger brother of the Liu family from Jing Zhou.

Moreover, the Iron Wall Town's grain stores had been burned, and some unknown parties were involved in the background.

Both publicly and privately, Xiao Jinghong needed to see the old lord to discuss the aftermath.

"This matter must be investigated thoroughly!"

...

At the fourth hour of the night.

Chen Yi, cradling Luo Yuxue, arrived at the Spring Rain Tower with Liu Lang.

The round trip took four hours, but many events had transpired in between, inevitably taking a toll on his spirit.

Thus, upon returning to his study, Chen Yi didn't bother with pleasantries. He ordered Liu Lang to splash cold water on Luo Yuxue's face.

"Ah-chi-chi..."

Luo Yuxue instantly awoke, glanced around, and fixed her gaze on Chen Yi, irritated and said, "You bastard, why did you knock me out?"

Chen Yi sat calmly, waved his hand to signal Liu Lang to go check outside first, then replied, "Your words were too many, too verbose."

Luo Yuxue: "..."

Before Liu Lang could exit the study, he couldn't help but chuckled.

"Boss, you really don't understand the value of cherishing beauty and jade."

Chen Yi glared at him: "Get out quickly."

"Got it."

After Liu Lang left, Luo Yuxue forced her anger aside and asked, "How did things turn out over there?"

Chen Yi didn't keep it from her: "Iron Wall Town's grain stores were burned, Liu's younger brother is dead, and those evil forces and several soldiers couldn't escape."

Luo Yuxue's eyes narrowed: "Those people were all killed by you, weren't they?"

Chen Yi nodded, sighing: "I couldn't let people know it was me who killed Liu Er Brother."

"Then why aren't you afraid I'll expose you?"

"I'm afraid, so I gave you some silver, otherwise all three hundred thousand taels of gold would've been mine."

"..."Despicable, shameless!

No wonder Luo Yuxue bit her teeth against Chen Yi.

This time, she and Geo Si three had spent a fortune, mainly due to those hidden Iron Flag Officers within the Remote Army.

Even if not all, it had cost them years of effort.

Yet with such a loss, they'd only gained half, roughly one hundred and fifty thousand silver dollars.

Well, that could be forgiven.

But this bastard was going to pin tonight's events on the White Tiger Guard. How could she not be furious?

Chen Yi must have guessed her thoughts, smiled and said, "Let's look out for each other."

"Who's 'we'?"

"The Iron Wall Town we both went to, Liu Wen and the others we both killed—can't that be 'us'?"

"You—you—you... I—I—I..."

Seeing Luo Yuxue rush at him in anger, Chen Yi shook his head, his fist striking her down like a mountain.

Thud.

Luo Yuxue was caught off guard, falling to the ground.

Yet the more she struggled, the angrier she became: "Let go of me!"

"Those things were all your doing, yet you want me to take the blame for you—how shameless can you be?!"

Chen Yi grinned: "Miss YuXue, compared to your meddling in Shu Zhou for the White Tiger Guard, what I've done these days isn't much."

"Besides, after today, you and I, the younger sister of the Liu family in Jing Zhou, are allies. It's to your advantage."

Luo Yuxue struggled to lift her head, stared at him, and asked through gritted teeth: "But are you really a member of the Liu family?"

Chen Yi said without embarrassment: "Like a mirror image." Using the Liu family's name to divert the Shadow Bureau's efforts was one of his aims.

After all, letting the two sides fight each other would spare them from seeking trouble with the Xiao family.

Luo Yuxue couldn't fully trust him, scoffed: "No matter who you are, as long as I'm alive, I won't forgive you."

Chen Yi smiled: "Miss YuXue, that's too early to say."

"Maybe in a while, I'll switch sides and join the White Tiger Guard, becoming your 'ally'?"

"I won't let you go either!"

Chen Yi sneered: "Up to you, I..."

Just as he was about to say more, suddenly in his mind flashed a few golden words, brilliant and dazzling:

[Certificate: Witnessed the gathering of black teeth demons and evil forces by the Moon Tower, joining hands with the White Tiger Guard of the Dazi Dynasty to burn three border towns in Shu Zhou. Reward: Fallen Dragon Spear Art rank elevated to Celestial Level, fate points +433.]

[Evaluation: Human, voice, scene, seen.]

[Jointly with Xiao Jinghong to disrupt the black teeth and White Tiger Guard's plot to burn the grain supplies of Canglang and Xuanjia towns, indirectly slaying the black teeth and other evils. Designed Liu Wen, executed him. Framed Xiao Dongchen, ruined the White Tiger Guard's schemes. Performance—commendable.]

Chen Yi carefully read through it, a smile forming on his face.

Commendable, rare indeed.

Though aside from a few comments and rewards, he was more pleased that Xiao Jinghong hadn't disappointed him.

Not only had the black teeth died, but the grain supplies of Xuanjia and Canglang towns were also spared, the outcome wasn't too bad.

If you add the thirty hundred thousand silver dollars he left for the Xiao family, it was enough to compensate for Iron Wall Town's losses, with some surplus left over.

"Not bad, not bad..."

Yùxuě saw him smiling for no apparent reason and asked in confusion, "What the hell are you up to now, you bastard?"

Chén Yì glanced at her, then quickly reined in his martial arts intent, saying, "You'd better go collect the money."

Yùxuě felt the pressure on her body ease, and she leaped to her feet, ready to strike, when Chen Yi continued, "Lady Tiger General, you wouldn't want to end up with nothing, would you?"

Yùxuě's fist hovered in front of his face, her eyes burning with fury as she stared at his vile visage. "You wait for it!"

As she turned to leave, Chen Yi called after her without hesitation: "Lady Tiger General—fifteen hundred thousand... almost forgot, there's also that ten thousand I gave to Black Tuft earlier."

"All in all, it's sixteen hundred thousand silver dollars. Don't overpay."

"...You wait!"

Chen Yi smiled and nodded, assuming she was waiting there to receive the money.

Not long after, Yùxuě hurried over, clutching a black sandalwood box, her face still seething. But upon seeing Chen Yi, she let out a cold hiss and opened the box, retrieving a bundle of gold tickets, ready to count out sixteen hundred thousand.

Before she could begin, her eye caught a black shadow at the corner, and then a sharp pain struck her neck.

Yùxuě stood frozen, staring at Chen Yi. "Y-you..."

In the next instant, the familiar dizziness washed over her again.

In her final moments, one thought surfaced in her mind:

That bastard's going to tear down the river and the bridges!

Chen Yi, however, paid it no mind. After ensuring she was secure, he sat down and began counting the gold and silver tickets.

The method was something like this:

"Your one, my one, my one, hey, my one..."

"Your one, my one, my one, hey, my one..."

In the end, Chen Yi finished counting, glanced at the thin stack of tickets, and his smile grew wider.

"I'll set aside five hundred thousand for you two—should cover your losses, right?"

Then he looked at the thick pile in his hands and sighed: "Making money's tough."

"Spent half a month, and I've only made... hmm... under thirty thousand?"

The extra came from the box—not just this deal's three hundred thousand, but also the recent gains from the Moonlight Tower.

Chen Yi tucked away the tickets, stood, and bid Liu Rong to leave the Spring Rain Inn.

"Boss, the money's in hand?"

"Yeah, not bad, we made some profit."

Liu Rong rubbed his hands together, grinning. "How much?"

Chen Yi glanced at the faint glow on the eastern horizon and replied, "About twenty-nine thousand."

"Twenty... huh? Did Lady Yùxuě agree?"

"She certainly didn't."

"Then how...? Er, this, this is what you took, right?"

When Chen Yi nodded, Liu Rong muttered something under his breath, feeling a pang of sympathy for Yùxuě.

He figured she'd be furious.

Chen Yi didn't dwell on it. After checking the time, he ordered, "Follow my instructions. Stay hidden, be careful, don't draw attention."

Liu Rong nodded, smiling. "Boss can rest easy. I'll hide so well, even the Moonlight Tower won't find me."

"Best that way. You..."

Before Chen Yi could finish, he suddenly looked up at the sky.

Liu Rong did the same.

Beneath the distant clouds, a figure streaked across at incredible speed, heading northward.

Though distant, they could feel the sharp, domineering martial aura radiating from her.

Chen Yi and Liu Rong froze, daring not to move a muscle.

Only when that presence faded entirely did they exchange a glance, both silently grateful.

Liu Rong let out a humorless laugh. "Boss, that—was that General Jinghong?"

Chen Yi nodded. "Yes, but she returned to Shu faster than I expected."

"Her aura... really scary. You not scared?"

"What's there to fear? Maybe just a beating."

Even if Xiao Jinghong and her family found out what he'd done, they wouldn't do much. After all, it was just a "family dispute."

Though Chen Yi would never say that outright. He simply waved Liu Rong on, following his plan.

He slipped away silently, heading to the pond, where a boat had already been prepared.

About half an hour later, Chen Yi changed into new clothes, washed clean, and erased all traces of his presence.

He sat on the boat, listening to the rain's gentle patter, his mind drifting to the vision he'd just seen. A faint smile touched his lips.

"Xiao Jinghong returned with Liu Wen, so she must've received Xiao Dongren's letter."

"The rest depends on how the Patriarch handles it."

"Presumably, even if he clings to old feelings, facing Xiao Dongren and others with hidden motives, he'll still draw his blade."

"Unless... the second son blocks the way or pleads. Maybe he'll survive."

"Still, at least the Shadow Clan will intervene."

"As for the Liu family in Jingzhou... *heh*, they'll cause trouble."

As he mused on these things, Chen Yi settled comfortably onto the bed.

Within him, the Wu Xing Suppressing Technique flowed, veiling all martial energies.

During Xiao Jinghong's return, he dared not leak even a trace, lest it invite trouble.

Though this wasn't out of fear.

Purely because his respect for the Lady was profound.

After all, one shouldn't let Xiao Jinghong, the commander of the Qinglong Army, suffer disgrace for his own merit.

Chen Yì's mind flashed back to the figure he had just seen, along with that sharp, domineering essence of sword technique, muttering to himself.

"Xiao Jinghong's third-grade cultivation level, the complete realm's sword technique essence—hmph, truly strong."

"When will I rise to my feet again?"

Chen Yì thought such, letting out a soft sigh.

Oh, I'm exhausted from a sleepless night, time to sleep.

Dreams have everything...

...

But while Chen Yì slept soundly, someone within Shuzhou City was destined to rest uneasily.

In the Moonlight Pavilion.

Lou Yu Xue slowly awoke, and only after realizing the surroundings were silent did she sit at the table.

Looking at the few dozen gold and silver tickets on the table, her exquisite, beautiful face showed no expression at all.

It was a calm born from having reached the peak of anger.

"Liu Wu, hah! A full 340,000 taels of silver!"

In the end, Lou Yu Xue only had a mere 50,000 taels.

Excluding the Moonlight Pavilion's earnings, the amount she could use to supply the Hidden Vow was only 30,000 taels.

This was ten times less than what she and Ge Lao San had previously planned.

Lou Yu Xue thought this over, and a smile crept onto her face.

Graceful, charming, beautiful, exquisite—she was clearly about to lose her temper.

She couldn't even imagine that there were such shameless scum in the world.

Even though she had encountered many various evil cultivators within the Moonlight Pavilion, none had angered her as much as that Liu Wu.

Killing someone by decapitation and leaving them on the ground—he, he was even more insufferable than killing me, a veritable filth!

Damn it!

No matter where you hide, no matter if you're a member of the Liu family of Jingzhou, I will find you and repay today's humiliation in full!

Please vote for the monthly ticket, please vote for the monthly ticket, please vote for the monthly ticket.

Only a week left until the monthly ticket draw, brothers, please vote more.

There are many prizes, maybe you'll win.

(End of chapter)